In-situ stress orientation and magnitude at the Fenton Geothermal Site, New Mexico, determined from

The acoustic borehole televiewer provides excellent data for the detection and measurement of stress-induced wellbore breakouts. Analog televiewer data from the Fenton Geothermal well EE-3 in New Mexico were digitized and interactively processed for detection and analysis of azimuth and shape of stress-induced breakouts occurring in the well at depths of about 2.9–3.5 km. A statistical analysis of the measured breakout azimuths yields a well resolved orientation of least horizontal principal stress of 119°, consistent with least principal stress data from the Rio Grande Rift. As the magnitude of the least horizontal compressive stress, Shmin, in EE-3 is known from hydraulic fracturing, we present a new method in which Shmin and data on breakout width are used to estimate the magnitude of the maximum horizontal principal stress.

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